The influence of the crosswind on the lift coefficient, vehicle stability and safety

Abstract

The unadjusted speed of the vehicle, as well as the influence of the lateral wind, are one of causers of traffic accidents. Affected by lateral wind, vehicles have tendency of lateral sliding or drifting, which further affects on the stability during the vehicle control. The aim of this paper is to show, how the lateral wind, as well as the angle of direction of lateral wind, influence on the change of the lift force. Were conducted three virtual experiments, when lateral wind don’t exist, and when it acts on the vehicle under angles 45° and 90° with the speed of 25 km/h. The increment of the lift force leads to the disturbance of stable movement of the vehicle in given exploitation conditions. By increment of the wind acting angle, when the wind don’t exist and when it acts on the vehicle under angle 90°, the lift force grows approximately 3.6 times, in respect to the case when lateral wind don’t exist, that is, when the vehicle is in the peaceful environment without wind.